MNCBA FallCon 2025
Cosplay Contest
Featuring over $600 in total cash prizes for our winners!
Please read below for this event's categories, rules, and guidelines. To keep our events safe and family-friendly, we also ask that your cosplay be in compliance with our dress code and weapons policies. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at least one week before the event you are inquiring about.
MNCBA FallCon 2025 Cosplay Categories
Youth: Ages 12 and under with parental consent.
Novice: Beginners and individuals who have never won a Cosplay Contest.
Advanced: Individuals who have won at least one Cosplay Contest in the past, and/or who are a professional craftsperson/costumer.
Group: Multiple contestants that have a related cosplay; i.e. a two-person Team Rocket group, a family cosplaying several of the X-Men, etc.
Participants will only be allowed to compete in one category for this event.
Rules and Guidelines
Cosplay Contest is to be held on Sunday, Oct 12th, at 1:00PM in the Panel Room which is located on the second floor of the Grandstand.
To register, sign up at the Nomad Ghostbusters of Minnesota booth, which is located behind the central staircase in the centre of the Grandstand show floor. You must be registered before the contest by 12:00PM on Sunday.
When registering, please give us the name that you would like to be introduced as, and character information (i.e. name of character and what fandom it is from, or background/explanation if it is an original character).
Your cosplay/costume(s) will be awarded additional points for being handmade and of your own (or your group's) creation. We are using an honesty system, so let’s play fair.
Contestants will be judged by a panel.
Acting performances and special music will not be considered for judging. If specific music is required, please bring your own audio device.
Contestants will be led up onto the stage one at a time (except for the Group category) for prejudging, and the top contenders will be brought forward to select the winner in each category.
There will be three winners chosen for each category.
In the interest of making sure the contest is fun for everyone, professional cosplayer guests/exhibitors are not allowed to enter the MNCBA contest at this time. We will make adjustments in the future as our contest grows.
Prizes
YOUTH CATEGORY
1st Place: $50.00 and two (2) MNCBA General Admission Tickets
2nd Place: $25.00 and two (2) MNCBA General Admission Tickets
3rd Place: $10.00 and two (2) MNCBA General Admission Tickets
NOVICE CATEGORY
1st Place: $100.00 and two (2) MNCBA General Admission Tickets
2nd Place: $50.00 and two (2) MNCBA General Admission Tickets
3rd Place: $25.00 and two (2) MNCBA General Admission Tickets
ADVANCED CATEGORY
1st Place: $100.00 and two (2) MNCBA General Admission Tickets
2nd Place: $50.00 and two (2) MNCBA General Admission Tickets
3rd Place: $25.00 and two (2) MNCBA General Admission Tickets
GROUP CATEGORY
1st Place: $100.00 and four (4) MNCBA General Admission Tickets
2nd Place: $50.00 and four (4) MNCBA General Admission Tickets
3rd Place: $25.00 and four (4) MNCBA General Admission Tickets
Meet our Cosplay Contest team!
The MNCBA SpringCon and FallCon Cosplay Contests are made possible by a hard-working team of volunteers passionate about cosplay and hosting inclusive, welcoming events for all. Please allow us to introduce some of them to you!
Nick "Count" Kaufman, MNCBA Cosplay Coordinator
Nick "Count" Kaufman with Betsy Palmer
Nick "Count" Kaufman was one of the founders of Crypticon in 2006, and was the head promoter of the Minneapolis show for the first 15 years. Amongst Nick's many duties, he organized and ran the events, including the costume and cosplay contest where he was also one of the judges.
In the 1990s, Nick was part of the team that helped Chazz DeMoss launch Dead Dog Comics. In the early 2000s they started Cryptic Magazine, where Nick was a columnist and assistant editor.
